Toy mold system with undercuts

ABSTRACT

Toy mold systems usable by a child to form highly detailed, rigid molded toy figures are disclosed. The systems include at least three preformed mold sections each having a configuration such that, in an assembled condition of the toy mold system, they define a mold cavity having at least one undercut. The mold system includes structure for releasably engaging the at least three mold sections in the assembled condition of the toy mold system. In the preferred embodiments, the mold system includes a base, top, and four wall mold sections. One, and preferably all, of the wall sections have a cavity portion with undercuts which provide the detailing on the sides, front and back of the molded toy figure. One of the mold sections functions as a base section into which the other mold section nest and with which they are releasably engaged. Toy mold kits include the toy mold system of the present invention and molding material, which may be a material such as polyvinyl chloride acetate, which produces rigid toy figures, or any conventional plastic molding compound such as plastisol.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein relates to toy mold systems usable bychildren, toy kits including the toy mold systems, and molded toyfigures. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvedtoy mold systems which allow children to make highly detailed molded toyfigures. The invention is applicable for use with many types of moldingmaterials which may be introduced into the mold system in solid orliquid form.

Toy mold systems, molding materials or compounds and toy ovens whichallow children to make molded toy figures are presently availableindividually and in kits. For example, Toymax Inc. currently sells suchitems separately and in kits under its CREEPY CRAWLER® trademark. Ingeneral, the kits contain one or more squeeze bottles of plastisolmolding material in one or more colors, one or more toy mold systemsinto which the molding material may be poured, and a toy oven for curingthe molding material from a flowable form to a solid form. In the CREEPYCRAWLER® line of toys, the molding material is a liquid plastisol soldunder the trademark PLASTI-GOOP® which remains flexible after itsolidifies. The molding material, however, may be any plastic-basedchemical composition suitable for use by children, such as athermoplastic or thermoset plastic. Although such mold systems, whichhave been and are presently commercially successful, enable children tomold a wide range of figures and objects like insects, play jewelry,etc., and provide high play value for children, they are open moldsystems typically consisting of only a single open mold section, andtherefore are not intended for molding highly detailed figures such asvehicle bodies.

The popularity of toy mold systems was and is based not only on the funchildren have in using them to make the molded toy figures but also inthe enjoyment children receive from having and playing with the toyfigures. However, the toy mold systems and toy mold kits heretoforeavailable, while providing a high play value for children in the moldingof toy objects, did not provide nearly as high a play value for thechildren in playing with the molded toy figures. One reason for this isthat children heretofore have not been able to make toy figures withdetailing comparable to commercially molded toy figures. The greater theamount of detailing on a molded toy figure, the more interesting andrealistic the figure is and the more fun to play with. For example, amolded toy car would be more interesting to play with if it not only hadthe general contour of a car but also contained some of the moredetailed features of a car, such as fenders, headlights, taillights,door handles, license plates, rocker panels, etc.

A prior art toy closed mold system previously sold under the mark"Johnny Toymaker" for forming miniature toy car bodies comprised twomold sections, a top section and a bottom section, which formed a closedmold system. The two mold sections together formed a cavity withoutundercuts that completely defined the car body. Different sets of moldsections were available for molding toy car bodies. However, because themold sections lacked undercuts, the toy car bodies molded by this toycorrespondingly lacked detail as compared to commercially made miniaturetoy cars. To provide detail, separate parts such as bumpers which mightinclude grills were glued to the molded parts, which presented certaindisadvantages. However, molded car bodies with detailed features adheredthereto may not be as realistic as industrially molded miniature toycars, because it may be difficult for a child to precisely align thedetailed features and to cleanly glue them to the molded car body,especially small detailed features. Further, detailed features adheredto the molded car body may move or separate from the car body over timeor with use.

To avoid such problems associated with attaching additional pieces toadd detail to a toy figure, it would be preferable to provide childrenwith the capability of creating molded toy figures already containing adesired level of detailing. However, a problem arises in that somedetailing in the molded toy figure consists of projections and recesseswhich are perpendicular to the angle of draw, i.e., the direction inwhich the mold is opened. These types of projections and recesses in themolded toy figure, often called "undercut sections," can lock onto thecorresponding recesses or projections, i.e., the undercuts, in the wallsof a mold section when an attempt is made to lift the molded figure fromthe mold system. Therefore, while it is desirable to provide as simple atoy mold system as possible for use by children, such simple toy moldsystems did not have the capability of molding detailed toy objects.

Thus, providing a toy mold system capable of molding detailed toyobjects presents a formidable problem in that the objectives of a simplemold system and molding highly detailed figures compete against eachother. Any undercuts in a toy mold system make it difficult if notimpossible to remove the molded figure from the mold without tearing theundercut sections or bending or distorting the shape of the moldedfigure, and any toy mold system with undercuts adds to the complexity ofthe mold system. Therefore, it was generally not feasible to includeundercuts in conventional toy mold systems unless the figure wassufficiently flexible so that it could be removed from a mold systemhaving undercuts by flexing the figure. However, the play value of manytoy figures, such as miniature cars, is higher if the figure is rigid,as a real car is.

Miniature toy cars can have immense play value when they are replicas ofreal cars, particularly vintage or popular models, and particularly whena child amasses a collection of the cars. However, because miniaturecars having such detail were previously only available as completedunits made industrially, collecting them was expensive. Also, any toymold system which may provide sufficient detail in a molded figure mightnot be very useful if it could only make one figure. In other words, forthe toy mold system to be useful, it should be able to mold a number ofdifferent figures, e.g., model cars. To applicants' knowledge, no suchtoy mold system was heretofore available.

The present invention provides the heretofore missing play value of atoy mold system which can be used to mold toy figures containing greaterdetail but which is still relatively simple and inexpensive, and easyfor children to use, and which may be used to produce toy figures ofdifferent shapes and details.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy mold systemwhich produces molded toy figures having greater detail than before,which is of simple construction, and which is easy for children to use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy moldsystem which can be used by a child to form molded toy figures havingundercut sections.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy moldsystem which can be used by a child to form rigid, highly detailedmolded toy figures such as miniature toy vehicle bodies.

It is another object of the invention to increase the play value of toymold systems and of the toy figures made therewith.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy moldsystem which achieves any of the above objects and which is capable ofmolding figures of differing configurations, e.g., different modelminiature vehicles.

It is another object of the invention to provide a toy mold system withwhich a child can mold highly detailed vehicle bodies replicating actualvehicles, and which would enable manufacturers of toy mold systems andkits to take better advantage of licensing vintage and popular vehiclenames and models.

Certain of the above and other objects are achieved by a toy mold systemcomprising at least three preformed mold sections each having aconfiguration such that, in an assembled condition of the toy moldsystem, they define a cavity in the shape of a toy figure to be moldedin which is defined at least one undercut. The toy mold sections arereleasably engaged so that a molded toy figure with an undercut sectionmay be formed, and thereafter the mold system disengaged by a child andthe molded toy figure removed from the mold system.

Because the mold system contains more than two sections, the moldedfigure will have more than one parting line, which is not particularlyobjectionable given the degree of detail that can be achieved.

In the preferred embodiments, the mold system comprises six moldsections--a base section, a top section and four wall sections. The moldsections are releasably engaged to each other by any suitable means,such as complementary tabs and slots, hinge arrangements using, forexample, hooks and pins, other interlocking or mating structure,snap-fitting structure, etc. One or more, and preferably all, of thefour wall sections have a cavity portion with indentations and grooves,i.e., undercuts, which provide the highly desirable detailing on therespective sides, front and/or back of the molded toy figure.

In the preferred embodiment, one of the mold sections, e.g., the bottomsection, functions as a base section, and the other sections nest withthe base section. In this embodiment, the engaging means engages theother sections with the base section.

A tray may be provided having a recess which receives the base section,and used to handle the assembled mold system, for example, when placingit into and when removing it from an oven.

In accordance with the present invention, the toy mold system comprisesat least three mold sections which can be releasably engaged orotherwise releasably interconnected to form a toy mold system which inan assembled condition defines a cavity in the shape of the toy figureto be molded. At least two of the sections contain a depression or core,and at least one depression or core extends in a direction which, whenthe toy mold system is in its assembled condition, is perpendicular tothe direction of at least one depression or core of another moldsection. As a result, there is at least one undercut in the mold cavity,and at least one undercut section will be formed on the molded toyfigure. After the molding material hardens, the toy figure can beremoved from the mold system by separating the mold sections. In thisway, the undercut in the toy mold system will not hinder or prevent theremoval of the molded toy figure from the toy mold system.

Molding material of one or more colors may be employed, and may be anysuitable toy plastic molding material, which is relatively rigid whensolidified. For example, a liquid molding material which becomes rigidwhen hardened may be, as presently preferred, a polyvinyl chlorideacetate, mixed with a carrier agent to make the molding materialflowable, such as an epoxide, and trace amounts of fillers,preservatives and binding agents. The use of a plastic molding materialthat becomes rigid in a toy mold system to produce toy figures withundercut sections is made possible by the invention, which allows suchmolded toy figure to be removed from the inventive mold system. Aplastisol sold under the trademark PLASTI-GOOP® by Toymax Inc. may alsobe used, but the object molded therefrom will be flexible, which incertain applications may not be desirable.

The mold material may be solid or liquid when introduced into the moldcavity, and the mold system is constructed accordingly. For example, afill hole is provided for introducing liquid molding material into thecavity.

The invention also makes possible molding by a child of a number ofdifferent, but related toy figures, such as miniature vehicles, whichare highly detailed, with the same mold system. The invention achievesthis by providing a system for releasably engaging together more thantwo mold sections selected from a number of mold sections, at least oneof which has at least one undercut in a cavity portion thereof. It isalso possible according to the invention, to "mix and match" moldsections, so that certain pans of the molded figures could be the sameor different from molded figure to molded figure. For example, in thecase of molding miniature vehicle bodies, vehicles may be molded havingbumpers and grills from one model, and a top, bottom and sides formanother model, or the bumpers can be made generic and used withdifferent sets of top, bottom and side sections for different vehicles,etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawingswhich are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which likereferences refer to like or corresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a toy figure in the form of a carbody molded in a toy mold system according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention depicted in FIG. 3;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the toy figure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the toy mold system accordingto the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the toy mold system shown in FIG. 3in an assembled condition with molding material being introducedtherein;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the toy mold system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the toy mold system shown in FIG. 3 takenalong line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the toy mold system shown in FIG. 3 takenalong the line 7--7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the partially assembled toy moldsystem shown in FIG. 3 with the top section removed;

FIG. 9 is top perspective view of the partially assembled toy moldsystem shown in FIG. 3 with the top and four wall sections removed;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section, exploded view of the toy mold systemshown in FIG. 3 taken transversely through the mold system;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section, exploded view of the toy mold systemshown in FIG. 3 taken longitudinally through the mold system;

FIG. 12 is an elevation view of the inside of a side wall section of thetoy mold system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the side wall section shown in FIG.12;

FIG. 14 is an elevation view of the inside of an end wall section of thetoy mold system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of the end wall section shown in FIG.14;

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a toy mold system accordingto another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the toy mold system shown in FIG. 16 inan assembled condition thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the molding systems of the preferred embodiments illustrated in thedrawings, the toy figures made according to the present invention aremulti-sided, three dimensional car bodies 10, containing detailedfeatures on the front 12, back 13 and sides 14. The toy car body 10 maybe attached to a chassis and wheels (not shown) to create a toy car.However, the invention is also applicable to other molded toy figuresrepresenting other types of vehicles and other objects, such as humancharacters, animals, monsters, toy jewelry objects, etc. Also, althoughthe invention is described in connection with a molded object such as acar body having contouring on all sides, the invention is applicable toforming figures having contours representing the object on only oneside, the other side thereof being flat. Such flat-on-one-side figuresmay be formed in a simple open mold system which according to theinvention has at least two mold sections and one undercut in the moldcavity of the mold system. Further, although the invention isparticularly suited for molding rigid objects, such as miniature vehiclebodies, the invention may also be used to mold flexible objects.

The toy mold system according to the present invention for forming thetoy car body 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises more than two mold sections,which together define a mold cavity having at least one undercut. In theembodiment shown in the FIGS. 3-15, the toy mold system 20 comprises sixmold sections 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 (see FIG. 3). A base moldsection 24, here the bottom section, has a cavity portion 24a whichforms the shape of the top of the molded toy car body 10. Top moldsection 26 with a core 26a forms the shape of the inside of the moldedtoy car body 10. The top section 26 has a fill hole 26c through whichliquid molding material 37 is introduced when the mold system is in itsassembled condition (FIG. 4). An appropriate fill hole may also be usedto introduce a solid molding material, or solid molding material can beplaced in the cavity in a partially assembled condition of the moldsystem. As shown in FIG. 4, liquid molding material 37 is stored in acontainer such as a squeeze bottle 35 having a nozzle 35a, the openingof which is sufficiently narrow to be inserted into the fill hole 26c topermit the introduction or injection of molding material 37 into themold cavity of the assembled toy mold system 20 without spillage. Aprojection 18 of the hardened molded material in the inside portion ofthe car body 10 shown in FIG. 2 results from the fill hole 26c.

The remaining mold sections are four wall sections 28, 30, 32, and 34.Side wall sections 28 and 32 have cavity portions 28a and 32a (FIG. 12),respectively, containing indentations and grooves which form detailingon the sides of the molded toy car body 10, such as door handles andlines for doors. Front wall section 30 has a cavity portion 30acontaining indentations and grooves which form detailing on the front 12of the toy car body 10, such as headlights and a license plate. Backwall section 34 has a cavity portion 34a (FIG. 14) containingindentations and grooves which form detailing on the back 13 of the toycar body 10, such as taillights and a license plate. The indentationsand grooves in the cavity portions of the four wall sections 28, 30, 32and 34 are undercuts, e.g. referenced by 19, and form undercut sections,e.g., referenced by 19, on the molded toy car body 10. It is theseundercuts in the cavity portions of the mold wall sections which providemuch of the detail for the car body 10.

In accordance with the present invention, the various mold sections havea structure which enables the toy mold system to be assembled and heldtogether, and to permit molding material to be introduced withoutleaking from the mold system. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-15contains a plurality of tabs which can be releasably inserted into andremoved from complementary, appropriately sized slots such as by asliding action. The tabs and complementary slots are sized to provide aninterlocking fit between the tabs and slots to engage the mold sectionsso that molding material 37 does not leak out of the mold cavity of theassembled mold system. The base section 24 has: slots 24b on either sideto accept tabs 26b on the top section 26; slots 24c, one in each of thefour corners, two of which accept tabs 30b of the front side wallsection 30 and two of which accept tabs 34a of the back wall section 34;and slots 24d, offset on either side of the base cavity 24a, one ofwhich accepts tab 28b of one side wall section 28 and one of whichaccepts tab 32a of the other side section wall 32.

The toy mold system 20 may be assembled by first inserting the wallsections 28, 30, 32, and 34 into the base section 24 in the appropriatelocations to align the tabs and slots as described above, and thenplacing the top section 26 over the base section 24 to align the tabs26b in the top section with the slots 24b in the base section. A tray 22is provided for handling the toy mold system 20, for example, for movingit into and out of a toy oven (not shown). Tray 22 has a recess 22awhich receives the mold system base section 24, with a lip around thebase section 24 being supported by the peripheral edge of the tray. Thetray 22 also has ears 22b on either side to fit a mold handler (notshown) used to place the mold system (and tray) in and remove it from atoy oven which heats the molding material in the mold system to hardenit. After the molding material has hardened, the mold system 20 isremoved from tray 22 and is disassembled by gripping the fill hole 26cand lifting the top section 26 from the base section 24. Because themolding material has hardened, the undercuts in the wall sections 28,30, 32, and 34 will cause the walls to be lifted out of the base section24 along with the top section 26. The wall sections 28, 30, 32, and 34are then each removed by pulling them laterally away from the toy FIG.10 in the direction of their respective undercuts. The molded toy FIG.20 is then removed from the top section 26.

The mold sections are made of a metal such as aluminum or zinc or may bemade of any other conventional heat resistant material. In its assembledcondition, the mold system 20 is approximately 3.5" long by 3.5" wide by0.75" high, and produces a molded toy car body 10 which is approximately2.0" long by 0.75" wide by 0.5" high. The dimensions may vary dependingon the desired size of the molded toy figure and the size of theparticular toy oven intended to be used to change the state of themolding material.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the toy mold system 36 alsocomprises six mold sections, a base section 38, a top section 48, andfour wall sections 40, 42, 44, and 46. The mold system 36 hasapproximately the same dimensions as the mold system 20 and molds a toycar body of approximately the same size as the one described above. Thebase section 38 has a cavity portion 38a which forms the shape of thetop of the molded toy car body 10. The top section 48 has a core 48a inthe shape of the inside of the car body 10, a flap 48c extending beyondthe end thereof to assist in lifting the top section when opening theassembled toy mold system, and fill holes 48g for insertion of moldingmaterial. Side wall sections 40 and 44 have cavity portions 40a and 44arespectively containing indentations and grooves, i.e., undercuts, whichform detailing on the sides 14 of the car body 10, and ears 40e and 44e,respectively, which allow the toy mold system 36 to fit in a tray (notshown) similar to tray 22. Front wall section 42 has a cavity 42acontaining undercuts to form detailing on the front 12 of the car body10. Back wall section 46 has a cavity (not shown) containing undercutsto form detailing on the back 13 of the car body 10. Each of the sidewall sections contains at least one raised tab 40c, 42c, 44c, and 46c,which, in an assembled condition of the toy mold system 36, extendsupwardly beyond the top section and assists in swinging open the wallsections to remove the molded toy figure.

The toy mold system 36 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 utilizes cooperatingtabs/slots, and crimped hooks/pins which function as hinges to engagethe mold sections and maintain them in an assembled condition. The basesection 38 has four pins 38b, one on each side, which each releasablyaccept two crimped hooks 40b, 42b, 44b, and 40b on each wall section.When the hooks are engaged with or hinged to the pins, the wall sectionsmay be rotated (hinged) around the pins so that the wall sections can beopened and closed. The wall sections may also be moved laterally alongthe pins to permit proper alignment of the side wall sections inrelation to the front and back wall sections during assembly of the toymold system 36.

The front wall section 42 and back wall section 46 each have two tabs42d and 46d, one on either end of each wall section, which arereleasably insertable into complementary slots 40d and 44d on the sidewall sections 40 and 44. The top section 48 has two crimped hooks 48b,similar to the ones on the wall sections, coupled to an arm 48f, whichare engagable with two pins 42e near the top of the front wall section42 to hingedly engage the top section 48 to the side wall section 42. Toassist in proper positioning of the top section 48 in relation to theside wall sections 40, 44, the top section has two tabs 48e extendingdownwardly from either end of the arm 48f which fit into a complementaryslot 44f on the ear 44e of one side wall section 44 and a complementaryslot (not shown) on the ear 40e of the other side wall section 40. Thetop section 48 also has a catch 48d which is releasably secured into arecess 46e near the top of the back wall section 46 to latch the topsection closed over the mold cavity formed by the mold system.

The toy mold system 36 shown in FIGS. 16-17 may be assembled by placingthe crimped hooks of each side wall section 40, 44 onto thecorresponding pins of the base section 38, inserting the tabs of thefront and back wall sections 42, 46 into the corresponding slots of theside wall sections 40, 44 by rotating the wall sections and moving themlaterally, placing the crimped hooks of the top section 48 onto the pinsof the front wall section 42, and rotating the top section downwardtowards the base section 38 until the tabs in the top section 48 areinserted into the slots in the ears of the side wall sections 40, 44 andthe catch 48d of the top section is latched into the recess 46e of theback wall section 46. After the molding material hardens, the toy moldsystem 36 may be disassembled by first hinging the top section 48 awayfrom the base section 38 using the flap 48c and rotating the front,back, and side wall sections away from the molded toy figure using theraised tabs. The toy car 10 may be removed simply by disassembling theside wall sections 40, 44.

As indicated above, the particular molding material may be any plasticbased material suitable for use with children which changes from aflowable state to a harder state in response to a certain condition orconditions. For example, the molding material may be a thermoplastic,which is solid at room temperature, and is softened by the applicationof heat to flow in the mold cavity and assume the shape thereof, andthen upon removal of the heat, i.e., the mold material returning to roomtemperature, hardening into the shape of the toy object. The moldingmaterial may also be or a thermosetting plastic, which is soft andflowable at room temperature and which hardens when heated. Such moldingmaterials are known to those of skill in the art.

Because, as described above, the toy mold system of the presentinvention permits the formation of undercut sections in a molded toyfigure without the need to bend the figure in order to remove it fromthe mold, a molding material which produces a more rigid molded figuremay be used. The resulting toy figure will be more inflexible then manytoy figures made with conventional plastic molding materials such asplastisol, and this is more appropriate for certain applications such astoy car bodies to which a chassis and wheels are attached which mightseparate more easily if the car body was flexible. Also, a rigid carbody would be more realistic than a flexible one. In the preferredembodiments, the molding material is a liquid i.e., is flowable at roomtemperature, which comprises a polymer with tensile strength and impactresistance such as polyvinyl chloride acetate (commonly known as PVC), acarrier such as epoxidize soybean oil to provide fluidity to the moldingmaterial in a proportion of approximately one-third polyvinyl chlorideacetate to two-thirds soybean oil, and trace amounts of other chemicalsto act as binding agents and preservatives, such as calcium carbonide,titanium dioxide, aluminum hydroxide, and amorphous silicone. As will beevident to those skilled in the art, the types and percentages of theingredients in the rigid molding material may be varied withoutsubstantially changing the rigid quality of the molded toy figure.

Various components described above may be sold separately or as part ofa kit. Such kits may include a mold system such as system 20, and one ormore squeeze bottles of molding material. The kits may also include atoy oven for heating the molding material to change it from a softer,flowable state to a hardened state. Any conventional packaging may beused to hold and sell all the elements in the toy mold kit, such as acarton or a bubble pack.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in connectionwith preferred embodiments, many variations and modifications as will beevident to those skilled in this art may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, and the invention as set forth inthe appended claims is thus not to be limited to the precise details ofmethodology or construction set forth above as such variations andmodification are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy mold system comprising at least three preformed mold sections each having a configuration such that, in an assembled condition of the toy mold system, the at least three mold sections define a cavity in the shape of a toy figure to be molded, the mold sections in the assembled condition of the mold system defining at least one undercut in the cavity, and further comprising engaging means for releasably engaging the at least three mold sections in the assembled condition of the toy mold system, whereby a molded toy figure with an undercut section may be formed in the assembled condition of the mold system and removed from the mold system by a child when the mold sections are released from engagement.
 2. The toy mold system of claim 1 wherein the at least three mold sections comprise a base section, a top section, and at least one wall section, the at least one wall section being configured to define an undercut.
 3. The toy mold system of claim 1 wherein the at least three mold sections comprise four wall sections, at least one of which is configured to define an undercut.
 4. The toy mold system of claim 1 further comprising means for introducing molding material into the mold system in the assembled condition thereof.
 5. The toy mold system of claim 4 wherein the means for introducing molding material into the toy mold system comprises at least one aperture in at least one of the at least three mold sections which communicates with the cavity of the mold system in the assembled condition thereof.
 6. The toy mold system of claim 1 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary slots and tabs associated with respective mold sections such that a tab on one mold section removably slides into a complementary slot in an adjacent mold section, the tabs and slots of adjacent mold sections engaging in the assembled condition of the mold system.
 7. The toy mold system of claim 1 wherein the mold sections include a base section sized to receive in nesting fashion the other mold sections, the engaging means engaging the other mold sections with the base section.
 8. The toy mold system of claim 7 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary slots and tabs associated with the base section and the other sections such that a tab on either the base section or a respective other section removably slides into a complementary slot in the other section or the base section, respectively.
 9. The combination of the mold system of claim 7 and a tray having a recess sized to receive the mold system in its assembled condition.
 10. The toy mold system of claim 1 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary hooks and pins associated with respective mold sections such that a hook on one mold section hingedly engages a pin in an adjacent mold section.
 11. The mold system of claim 7 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary hooks and pins associated with respective mold sections such that a hook on one mold section hingedly engages a pin in an adjacent mold section.
 12. A toy mold system usable by a child for molding a toy figure with at least one undercut section, comprising a base section, a top section and one or more wall sections, the base section being preformed with at least one depression extending downwardly therein in a first direction, and at least one of the wall sections being preformed with at least one depression or indentation such that, in an assembled condition of the toy mold system, the at least one depression or indentation of at least one wall section extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and defines an undercut; and further comprising means for engaging the base, top and wall sections such that a cavity shaped in the form of the toy figure to be molded is formed inside the toy mold system in the assembled condition thereof.
 13. The toy mold system of claim 12 wherein the top section has an aperture therethrough which in the assembled condition of the mold system communicates with the cavity and through which molding material may be introduced into the cavity of the toy mold system in the assembled condition thereof.
 14. The toy mold system of claim 12 wherein the wall sections comprise four side wall sections each having at least one depression or indentation extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, and defining an undercut.
 15. The toy mold system of claim 12 wherein the top section has at least one depression extending upwardly into the top section.
 16. The toy mold system of claim 12 wherein the top section has at least one indentation extending downwardly away from the top section.
 17. The toy mold system of claim 12 wherein the mold sections include a base section sized to receive in nesting fashion the other mold sections, the engaging means engaging the other mold sections with the base section.
 18. The toy mold system of claim 17 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary slots and tabs associated with the base section and the other sections such that a tab on either the base section or a respective other section removably slides into a complementary slot in the other section or the base section, respectively.
 19. The toy mold system of claim 17 wherein the engaging means comprises complementary hooks and pins associated with respective mold sections such that a hook on one mold section hingedly engages a pin in an adjacent mold section. 